Hollywood returns to Hawaiʻi with multiple productions filming here in 2026

The Hawaiʻi television and film industry is having a big year, with three major productions: the second season of supernatural thrills in “Untamed,” action-comedy “Protecting Jared” and the next installment of the beloved Jumanji franchise. 

A Hawaiian blessing was held last week to mark the new setting of “Untamed” at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, with the production shooting on the Big Island and Oʻahu.

In its second season, “Untamed” follows Special Agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana, who also serves as an executive producer) and his investigative work for an elite branch of the National Park Service to Hawaiʻi where mysteries will unfold across six new episodes.

Executive Producer John Wells, a longtime resident of Hawaiʻi, was also instrumental in bringing production and workforce opportunities to the state with “Rescue: HI-Surf.” The show hired a local Hawai‘i producer, provided a platform for an up-and-coming Native Hawaiian filmmaker to make her episodic TV directorial debut, and sourced 90 percent of its crew from Hawai‘i.

Sony’s “Jumanji 3,” with an all-star cast that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Danny DeVito — will film on Oʻahu ahead of a planned December 2026 release.

Netflix’s action-comedy feature “Protecting Jared” is currently filming on Oʻahu, starring Hawaiʻi actor Jason Momoa alongside Andy Samberg. The film centers on a Hawaiian security guard who must protect a tech billionaire after a kidnapping plot is uncovered.

Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green said these productions are critically important for Hawaiʻi crews, actors and industry vendors.

“These films and the series are creating jobs for not just local talent and crew,” Green said in a press release. “They are supporting small businesses and driving opportunities that ripple across our state — touching lives and strengthening livelihoods.”

James Kunane, director of the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, said keeping the state primed for production is important to meet and continually attract these opportunities for the state’s creative economy and workforce.

“The lineup of productions actively in and arriving to Hawai‘i reflects an industry-wide understanding of the unique appeal of these islands for visual storytelling and an appreciation for the skilled above- and below-the-line talent homegrown right here and ready to advance these diverse projects,” Kunane said.

Georja Skinner, chief officer at the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourismʻs Creative Industries Division, said: “The combination of these productions and others launching this year is restoring a vibrant anchor of our creative economy in the state.

“Hiring hundreds of our local resident crew, talent and vendors back to work restores our commitment to advancing a more competitive incentive for film production this session.”

She said studios budget for movies years in advance, and incentives are key to planning where productions choose to shoot on location.

“Cultivating relationships also plays an important role in returning and new opportunities, with many wonderful artists and industry leaders advocating for Hawai’i stories and Hawai‘i-set storytelling to be told authentically in and from these islands,” Skinner said.